Messier-Dowty is at Farnborough optimistic about growth, having just opened the world's largest landing gear test centre.
The centre, located an hour's driver from Farnborough in Gloucester, was the culmination of five months of planning, a year of construction and a £7 million ($11 million) investment. At 3,000m2 it is 60% larger than its predecessor and represents the industry's most comprehensive and specialised asset of its kind.
The largest test rig weighs approximately 250t, is 10m high and has a 30m2 template with a loading capacity of 1,000t of force. The specifications allow for critical strength and fatigue tests in which the landing gear is subjected to loads well in excess of those likely to be experienced in operational conditions.
Simulation
For example, forces equivalent to those produced by a fully-loaded Airbus A340 can be applied in pre-determined sequences to simulate extended periods of operation. New rigs being installed are designed to test entire landing systems, adding door movements and other subsystems to landing gear deployment and retraction.
Other parts of the building are dedicated to photo-elastic testing and hydraulic component and seal development.
The design and production of landing gear in the British county of Gloucestershire date back to the 1930s when George Dowty developed the internally-sprung wheel and ultimately, fully-retractable landing gear for commercial and military aircraft.
In 1995, Messier-Dowty was created as a joint venture with the Snecma Group, bringing together test centres in England, France and Canada. Snecma became the sole owner of the company in 1998.
Source: Flight Daily News